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Rape Victim Tells Andrew 'Women Need To Look After Themselves'

This rape victim gave Andrew Castle her take on a Judge's recent comments that "disinhibited behaviour" could put women in danger.

Retiring Judge, Lindsey Kushner QC, warned women who get drunk they are putting themselves in danger of being targeted by rapists.

She said women were entitled to "drink themselves into the ground" but their "disinhibited behaviour" could put them in danger.

Her comments has prompted backlash and accusations of 'victim blaming', but Julie from Ware, a rape victim, said that the Judge was right to say what she said.

She told Andrew: "At the end of the day, you're not going to change people. There are people with tendencies out there, there are strange people who want to do that sort of thing, and it's about minimising that situation.

"It's like drink driving. You're going to have a crash if, you know, if you are under the influence and your judgment is minimised at that time."

Julie said that she was raped following a night out in the city centre five years ago. She told Andrew that she befriended a man after she lost her friend, and he gave a sip of drink from his bottle, which turned out to be spiked.

Julie added that she woke up in an alleyway the following morning, and a month later she found out she was pregnant.

Julie said that she went to the doctors and the police, but the rape team at the police force were of very little help, even accusing her of lying.

She added: "I don't want to put people off actually going to the police, who've gone through this, but I just wanted to just sort of point out that it's not easy sailing.

"You know, you do go through a lot, and I say to everyone that if they have had that done to them, yeah, by all means. But, you know, it's not it's not plain sailing for women."

Julie went on: "If I had to change the clock back now, you can't change people, you can't go around and change every single person's mind, then I would have put myself at less risk, and I do believe that.

"Because I can't determine what someone else is going to do. It's about looking after myself, and I would have made a different choice that night."

Andrew then asked Julie: "But does, but does what happened, in that set of circumstances, and what the judge said, does as Rape Crisis have said, does it shift the focus onto women, when it shouldn't be on women, it should be on on the rapist? They say women are yet again being blamed for rape."

Julie responded: "No. I actually, I agree that it's both. Because you should be looking after yourself, and putting yourself not a risk, I don't agree with them completely, because, you know, you can't tell what someone else is going to do. You've got to minimise that.

"And I agree with the judge. You can't expect someone else not to do- to do the right thing. ou have to look after yourself. And I believe with what you said about giving your daughter information. If someone had said to me that night 'this is going to happen' of course I wouldn't have put myself at risk."